


shibui

by tomorrowsrain



Series: komorebi [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Chuunin Exams, Fluff, Good Uchiha Obito, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Team 7 has mixed feelings about coming back to Konoha, Team as Family, Uchiha Obito Lives, but they're still here to kick ass, kakashi and obito are missing-nin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-05-02 22:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14554530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomorrowsrain/pseuds/tomorrowsrain
Summary: Team 7 returns to Konoha to participate in the Chuunin Exams. Konoha is not remotely prepared.(Meanwhile, dangerous forces stir in the shadows and everything is about to change.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We're here! Eeep. I'm so nervous about this, folks. And excited. It's a rollercoaster. Anyway, I hope that I can do this arc justice. 
> 
> Strap yourselves in. It's going to be an interesting ride. 
> 
> \- C

 

 **Shibui (n)** _\- old-school cool._

 

_ _

 

It’s a full moon - the light of it visible even through the thick Fire Country canopy. It turns the bark of the trees silver and deepens the shadows into a small abyss, making Obito feel exposed and off-balance. Though, really, that’s probably more the fault of the forest - and the fact that for the first time in thirteen years, he’s less than five miles from the gates of Konoha.

Thirteen years. Almost half his life.

He never wanted to go back, not after everything, but fate hasn’t been big on granting his wishes, and this time is no exception.

“Maa, will you stop pacing,” Kakashi grumbles from his spot at the base of one of the bigger trees ringing their little clearing. “You’re scaring the children.”

Said children all glare at Kakashi for that remark, though they’ve been strangely silent since crossing the border so this is probably affecting them, too.

“The _children_ are fine,” Sasuke snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. His fingers are twitching, restless, against the sleeves of his jacket.

“Yeah,” Naruto backs Sasuke up, like he hasn’t been drawing nervous patterns in the dirt with a kunai for the last ten minutes. “You’re the ones freaking out.”

“Hypocrites,” Obito declares, but forces himself to stand still. “All of you.”

He mostly means Kakashi, who is projecting an annoying aura of calm as though Obito doesn’t know him as well as breathing and can’t see right to the anxiety thrumming underneath. Kakashi, he thinks, wants to go back even less than he does, because for Kakashi there are no excuses - no mysterious dark forces controlling him, no lost memories, no foreign chakra invading his mind. It was just him and a blade and a terrible decision, and that haunts him more than he’s usually willing to admit.

The other brats still glaring at him from where they’re huddled together like ducklings. Even Sakura seems restless, rolling and unrolling the scroll she’s been pretending to read.

“They’re late,” Obito says to change the subject.

“Now who’s the hypocrite?” Kakashi predictably fires right back.

“Shut up, Bakakashi. That’s different and-”

Foreign chakra signatures, rapidly approaching. He cuts himself off and hovers a hand near his kunai pouch. It’s probably the ANBU who have been tasked with escorting them to the Hokage Tower, but he’s not about to take any chances. It could also be a shinobi who somehow heard of their impending arrival and has decided to try for vengeance before they’re under the formal protection of Sandaime.

It’s Konoha - after a Kyuubi attack and an almost-execution, and thirteen years as a missing-nin. Obito isn’t ruling anything out, okay?

The rest of Team 7 are on their feet now, too, sliding into fighting stances. But out of the shadows steps a squad of four Leaf ANBU, some recognizable masks among them.

“Uchiha,” Crow says in flat greeting. “Hatake.”

“So good to see you again,” Obito says with a sharp smile, just for the tensing of Crow’s shoulders in response. He has a feeling he won’t be dangerous for much longer, so he’s going to take advantage while he can.

Crow recovers quickly, though her hand stays near her kunai pouch. “Follow us, please.”

“Of course,” Kakashi says with a dip of his head and an admonishing look in Obito’s direction. Right, right, they’re supposed to be setting an _example,_ and teaching the brats to be a pain in the ass for the Hokage’s ANBU probably isn’t a good idea.

Obito still wants to stick his tongue out him, but he’s a mature adult. Instead, he focuses on the ANBU as they take to the trees. Two of them drop back to the rear of the group, forcing Team 7 into the middle. They look like ghosts in the moonlight and he hates the shiver that runs down his spine. It’s just a village, he tells himself for the thousandth time since they got an invitation to the exams. It’s just a wall and buildings and a stupid monument sporting his dead sensei’s face. It isn’t haunted, or cursed, or any of the things his anxious mind has conjured over the years.

It’s just a fucking _place,_ and coming back to it isn’t going to unravel his life. (He hopes.)

He can't turn back, anyway, because there are the gates, looking the same as they did on the night he left. (There was no moon, back then, and the darkness felt almost absolute.) He takes a deep breath when they stop in front of them - comforted by the sight of his uncertainty reflected on the faces of the rest of his team. Even Sakura, who has the fewest demons here.

“We’re taking you straight to the Hokage Tower,” Crow says. “Keep your heads down and don’t engage with anyone.”

Right, like he’d start a fight two seconds in. He knew their opinion of him was low, but that’s just insulting. He gives them another sharp grin, because he can, and nods in acquiescence.

“What’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff?” Naruto demands in a furious whisper. “We’re not criminals.”

“They are,” Rat declares, with a gesture towards Kakashi and Obito.

Naruto bristles, but Kakashi puts a stilling hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. We expected this.” To the ANBU, in his politest tone possible (and also his fakest, in Obito’s opinion), “please take us to the Hokage.”

Naruto huffs, but backs down, and Crow, voice almost dripping with disdain, orders, “stay close.”

It’s a mercifully short journey over the rooftops, and they move too fast for Obito to really take stock of his surroundings, which is a small blessing. His heart already feels like it’s trying to beat out of his ribcage without looking up at Minato-sensei on the Hokage Monument, or figuring out what has and hasn’t changed in the past thirteen years.

All of that can wait until tomorrow. He has a meeting to get through first.

And as expected, Sarutobi in his office - clad in his Hokage robes and smoking his ever-present pipe. Naruto brightens at the sight of him. “Hokage-jiji!”

“Hello, Naruto,” Sarutobi says with a fond smile. “Sasuke, Sakura.” His gaze lingers on them, too, no doubt cataloguing all the changes that their year away from Konoha has brought: Sakura’s messy pixie cut, Sasuke’s relaxed stance, Naruto’s contained exuberance. “You three are looking well.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” Sakura says with a polite bow. Sasuke merely grunts, because some aspects of personality can never be changed.

Then Sarutobi’s eyes are fixed on him. He straightens unconsciously, shoving down his complicated feelings about this man who has always inexplicably believed in him - far past the point that’s probably wise.

“Obito, Kakashi,” he says now. “You’re looking well, too.”

“Thank you,” Kakashi says in an echo of Sakura. Obito settles for a nod, biting back the request that they forget the stupid pleasantries and get this show on the road. Sarutobi didn’t mention any demands in his letter to them, but Obito isn’t stupid. They’re not going to be allowed to roam freely around Konoha for a whole _day,_ let alone the duration of the exams.

Fortunately, Sarutobi stands. “We can finish catching up later. For now, all of you please come with me to the sealing chamber.”

Ah, so _that’s_ how it’s going to be. Great.

“Sealing chamber?” Naruto asks in confusion. Kakashi merely squeezes his shoulder again.

Obito wants to ask that they spare the brats what is probably going to be an unpleasant experience, but he grudgingly understands Sarutobi’s reasoning. This won’t be a normal exam for them. Everything they do won’t just be a reflection of their own skill, but of his and Kakashi’s teaching abilities - of the ideas they might have been planting in the genins’ impressionable minds. If Team 7 steps out of line, it will be Kakashi and Obito who will pay, and Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto have to understand that, as much as Obito hates it - being used against them like this.

Or maybe that’s an uncharitable way of thinking of about it. He doesn’t really care, either way.

The sealing chamber is in the basement of the Hokage Tower and instantly reminds Obito of a prison cell. No windows, a concrete floor etched in intricate designs, only flickering torches on the walls for light. Konoha always did love adding an air of drama to things like this. He suspects that the Shodaime is partially to blame for that. The Senju clan seems to have been just as melodramatic as the Uchiha, back in the years of the village’s founding, and the other Hokage have just carried on the tradition - Senju blood or not.

Sarutobi pauses at the edge of the circle, expression unreadable as always. “One of you, please take a seat in the center.”

Obito steps forward first, because this at least he can do for Kakashi - and considering his higher chakra levels, it’s going to be an even more unpleasant experience than usual.

“You’re sealing our chakra, right?” he asks as he shrugs out of his shirt - viciously stamping down the familiar wave of self-consciousness over the unnatural skin of his right side - and sits cross-legged on the cold ground.

Sarutobi hums in confirmation, finally pocketing that damn pipe. “This seal will prevent you from moulding chakra to use ninjutsu, genjutsu, or your Sharingan. Also, if you attempt to leave Konoha without permission, it will detonate.”

“What?” Naruto shouts as Obito grits his teeth - heart taking a dive straight into his stomach. Confinement to Konoha? Somehow, he didn’t think that would be in the terms.

“I will remove the seals as soon as the exams are over,” Sarutobi says.

“And we’re just supposed to accept your word on that, old man?” Obito spits. It’s a fight to keep his hands in his lap, to keep his Sharingan and mokuton dormant.

Sarutobi’s gaze is steel. “Yes.”

 _Well,_ a voice drawls somewhere in the back of his mind. It sounds infuriatingly like Kakashi. _You’ve come this far, haven’t you?_

“Fine,” he says. A long exhale. The ANBU’s hands shift away from their weapons as he holds out up his arms. “Do it.”

Sarutobi steps forward and the circle flares to life - light casting faces in silhouette, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. It’s almost beautiful, but then again most sealing is. Obito’s always considered it a sort of deadly art form. And as Sarutobi’s hands land on his shoulders, he has a flash of memory: another windowless room, lit by torches, and a familiar child screaming in his arms as Minato looks at him with a mix of shock and desperate, visceral terror.

Fuck.

He swallows down a rising rush of bile, tells himself not to be sick all over the Third Hokage, and focuses on the sealing. When the pain hits - fierce and brutal and all-consuming - it’s almost welcome. He nearly bites through his tongue holding back a scream. Surely, at some point in his life, he’s weathered worse than this, but nothing is immediately coming to mind. It feels like every nerve has been lit on fire - like something vital is being torn away from him. Distantly, he can hear people shouting, but his mind is too fogged to focus on what they’re saying.

It goes on forever, it’s over in an instant, and when Sarutobi takes his hands away, Obito pitches to the side and spits blood onto the carved floor. He’s shaking all over, holding himself up on one weak arm, and he feels like he just went ten rounds with all three of the Legendary Sannin. Then there is the emptiness. A void where the forest has been for thirteen years, and his eye before that. There is a part of him missing, that’s been closed off, and he _hates_ the sensation.

“What the hell was _that?_ ” Naruto again, gaping from the edge of the circle.

“This isn’t-” Sasuke starts.

“We agreed to this,” Kakashi cuts them both off. “We knew there would be a price for coming back.”

“But, sensei,” Sakura says, voice shaking, “if we’d known, we wouldn’t have-”

“It’s okay, Sakura,” Obito manages to get out in spite of his dry, aching throat. “We’re … happy to pay it.”

“Don’t _say_ that,” Naruto whispers and when Obito, with great effort, tilts his head to look up at him, there are tears welling in his blue eyes.

 _I held him._ He can almost remember it now: the sounds of Naruto’s screams, the weight of him in his arms. _I tried to kill him._

“Hey,” he says, furiously cutting off any other memories trying to form. He currently doesn’t have the strength to deal with them, so they can get in fucking line. “Chin up, brat.”

A weak smile flickers in the corner of Naruto’s mouth, and right now, it’s enough of a victory.

“We’re done,” Sarutobi announces and reaches down to help Obito stand.

By some miracle, his legs hold him long enough for him to pick up his shirt and wobble his way out of the circle. Kakashi catches him when he starts to crash to his knees again, slowly lowering him to the floor with his back against the wall.

“Guess it’s my turn,” he says and Obito squeezes his hand. Tells himself to say calm. He’s isn’t good at dealing with seeing Kakashi in pain, but here is the last place he wants to have a freak out.

The kids huddle around him: Sakura’s hand on his arm, Naruto’s fingers twined with his synthetic ones, Sasuke’s digging into his shoulder. They all look shaken and several shades too pale, but they’re strong - he’s made sure of that.

“We’ll be okay,” he murmurs to them as Kakashi also strips down to his undershirt and assumes Obito’s earlier position.

“This isn’t fair,” Sasuke hisses, leaning in closer. His fingers are twitching again - Obito can feel it through his shirt.

“Yes,” he says, thinking of Naruto, Minato’s expression, _Kushina,_ “it is.”

Sasuke looks ready to protest, but Obito lifts a heavy arm and nudges him. “Shh.”

From the middle of the circle, Kakashi chokes on a scream, forcing it down to a pain-filled gasp that still cuts like a knife.

 _Don’t freak out,_ Obito reminds himself, even as he forces his gaze to Kakashi’s timorous shoulders, the agony in the curl of his spine. He owes it to Kakashi to watch, to share this burden as best he can. _Don’t freak out._

It’s over quickly, at least. Less than a minute before Sarutobi is stepping back and the seal forms on Kakashi’s forearm - dark and intricate. Obito must have a matching one, though he hasn’t bothered to check.

“It’s done,” Sarutobi repeats and Kakashi nods. He’s wheezing a little, pain rattling through each long exhale, but he gets to his feet on his own power.

“You will be assigned temporary housing for the duration of your stay,” Sarutobi continues as Kakashi shrugs his over shirt back on. “Since we have a week before the official start of the exams, I’ll give you a day to rest and reacquaint yourselves with the village. Jounin and ANBU will be informed of your presence and that you are operating with amnesty I’ve granted.” He takes out his pipe again. Speaks through a new cloud of smoke. “Then, you’ll report to me to submit your formal recommendations for Team 7, as well as any other necessary assessments.”

“Understood,” Kakashi says, swaying slightly.

Sarutobi reaches out to steady him, expression almost fond now. Obito wants to hate it, but he’s never been able to. Not even on the night they were exiled. “It’s good to have you both here. In spite of the circumstances.” He turns to smile at the rest of Team 7. “It will be interesting to see how much your team has grown in the last year. We have quite the crop of young hopefuls. I’m sure the competition will be fierce.”

“Bring it,” Naruto says, rallying himself enough to grin. “We’re ready.”

“Hmm.” Sarutobi takes another long puff of his pipe. “You certainly seem to be.”

“Okay, this has been fun,” Obito snaps, finally losing patience. “Can we go lie down now?” It’s been thirteen years since his body experienced exhaustion on this level and it isn’t coping well. If he isn’t careful, he’ll end up passing out in the sealing chamber and have to be carried to their apartment by ANBU.

Which is an indignity he’d rather avoid.

“Of course,” Sarutobi says with a dip of his head. “Crow and Rat will escort you.”

Oh joy.

_ _

 

The apartment is wisely on the outskirts of the village’s residential area - the last building on a quiet street. It looks a little rundown, perhaps even mostly abandoned, but it’s far from the worst place Obito has stayed and it will be more than adequate for a month. Especially since Obito was half expecting to be told that he would be sleeping in one of Konoha’s prison cells when he wasn’t being followed by ANBU 24/7.

They’re on the top floor, in the corner. Two bedrooms and a decent-sized communal space, with a fully stocked fridge, a big enough table to seat five people, and cupboards also packed with food and dishes. There are no beds in any of the bedrooms, merely futons spaced out on the floor, but Obito doubts he would know what to do with more than a few nights in a bed anyway.

And in the middle of the kitchen table, impossible to miss, are five hitai-ate and two neatly folded jounin uniforms.

“What the hell is this?” Obito asks - his intimidating tone undercut by the fact that he has to lean on one of the chairs to keep himself upright.

“You are representing Konoha,” Crow explains, clipped. “For the duration of the exams, you are fully-fledged jounin sensei and your team are Leaf genin - you must present yourselves as such. To project unity to the other participating villages.”

“Unity,” Obito snorts with barely concealed disdain. More like a power show - two famous missing-nin coming home to serve as deterrents for any so-called ally that wants to try something.

He'd really like to throw the uniforms and hitai-ate out the fucking window. He hasn’t been a Konoha shinobi since he was thirteen - like hell he’s going to walk around in a uniform _now._

 _You’ve come this far,_ the voice reminds him.

Naruto has picked up one of the hitai-ate and is turning it over in his hands, a more conflicted expression than Obito anticipated on his face. Team 7, he realizes, has gotten used to the freedom of life on the road. It will be weird for all of them to be formally tied to a village again, even if it’s supposed to be only temporary.

“Thank you,” Kakashi says to the ANBU when the crippling silence has stretched on far too long. There is a _get lost_ in there somewhere, too, that Crow and Rat fortunately pick up on. 

And sure, they’re probably going to perch in the trees outside the whole night, but at least they leave the apartment.

“This is weird,” Naruto says after the door has clicked shut. “I didn’t expect it to be this weird.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke says, also running his fingers over the hitai-ate. “I don’t think I like being back.”

“Well, we’re here,” Obito grumbles, still gripping the chair for balance. Everything feels muted, distant. He can barely sense the rest of the team’s chakra signatures - even Kakashi’s, which he knows almost better than his own - and being cut off from his Sharingan is like a strange form of blindness. “And no one’s allowed to back out.”

“Hn, who said anything about backing out?” Sasuke fires back, gaze fierce.

“Yeah, we’re not going anywhere.”

Sakura, like the good student she is, glances back and forth between him and Kakashi. “Shouldn’t you two lie down? You look like you need rest.”

He knew Sakura was his favorite for a reason. “Yeah, probably. That was … unpleasant.”

Naruto slams a hand on the table. “And _wrong!_ They shouldn’t … you’re our _sensei._ They’ve trusted you with us for a whole year! Why hurt you like that?”

“Sarutobi trusts us,” Kakashi says. “I doubt anyone else does. And he needs to reassure those people that we’re powerless.”

“It’s still stupid,” Naruto grumbles. Kakashi pats him on the head.

“Maa, don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”

“But it was a warning, too, right?” Sakura asks, because she is also his smartest student by far. “To us. Our performance in the exams…”

“Reflects on you,” Sasuke finishes with a dark frown. “On whether they let us stay with you.”

“Pretty much,” Obito says. “So just … keep your heads down until the exams start, okay?”

Which won’t be easy, considering how much a stir their arrival is probably going to cause, but he trusts the brats not to be idiots (for the most part). Their determined expressions all say that they know what’s on the line here, and they’re going to do everything they can to tip the scales in their favor.

Obito might be proud of them. Just a little.

(Okay, a lot.)

“Don’t worry, sensei,” Sakura says. “We won’t cause any trouble.”

“Promise,” Naruto adds, clapping a hand over his heart.

“So go to bed,” Sasuke says, actually looking worried for them. Which means they really must look terrible.

“Not a problem,” Obito mutters and snags Kakashi’s sleeve. “C’mon, Bakakashi. I want to sleep for a week.”

By unspoken agreement, they all leave the hitai-ate to deal with tomorrow and peel off into their separate rooms. Obito, with what feels like the last of his strength, drags his futon next to Kakashi’s and crashes onto it, slinging an arm over Kakashi and shifting closer, in spite of the summer heat.

They’re both too tired to talk, so they listen to the sounds of their kids getting ready for bed: their quiet chatter, the whine of the bathroom faucet, the rustle of fabric as they crawl onto their futons.

They’re going to do okay, he believes that. They’re strong and they’re a team and he’s sure they’re going to blow everyone away when the exams start.

They’re going to do just fine, but he isn’t so sure about himself.

 

_ _

 

In spite of his exhaustion, it seems his body still needs less rest than the average human, as he wakes before dawn. He still feels close to terrible, but not like death warmed over, so that’s good progress. A quick glance confirms that Kakashi is fast asleep next to him and he can hear the rhythmic breathing of the kids from the other room, suggesting they’re out cold, too.

He doesn’t particularly want to lie around until everyone wakes up, especially with sudden restlessness skittering down his spine. Maybe this will be a good time to go - before the village rises and he risks being seen.

He leaves a note on his pillow for Kakashi and dresses silently in his own clothes, still stubbornly ignoring the uniform and hitai-ate on the table. He doesn’t want to be a Leaf shinobi for this.

The air is already warm when he steps outside and takes to the rooftops. There are two ANBU trailing him, as anticipated, but they’re keeping a respectful distance and he reaches the cemetery unhindered. It takes him longer than he wants to find Rin’s grave amidst the seemingly endless rows. (So many names, so many dead - it’s grown even in the years he’s been away, in a time of supposed peace.)

She’s on the second to last row, before the fence and the forest beyond it, and it _hurts_ seeing her name carved into the stone. He’s done his grieving, held his own funeral, but there is a weight to standing over her physical grave that he didn’t anticipate. In this moment, he misses her enough to ache with it.

“I’m sorry,” he says ( _for so many things),_ “that I didn’t bring flowers. Though, I doubt you really care about things like that, ne? You were too practical.”

He blinks back tears and sinks to the ground. It feels too strange to stand, peering down - like she’s too far away, even though that’s a stupid notion. There is nothing left of her here but bones and a name, and yet …

“I bet you’re surprised,” he continues, “seeing me again.” She wouldn’t have known, he realizes suddenly, that he survived. She died before he could … “I’m surprised, too. I never expected to come back here. You … you missed a lot of terrible things, Rin. Maybe that’s a blessing.” But he doesn’t want to dwell on the past and all its bleak memories. “Anyway, there have been a lot of good things, too. Me and Kakashi … well we’re.” He coughs, embarrassed by his embarrassment. “You know. Which I bet you never saw coming, ne? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. I think we’re good together, though. He’s good for me, but don’t tell him I said that. His head is big enough already.”

He sucks in a wet breath, wiping a hand across his face. “And I have students, too! Another twist. Yes, they actually let me become a jounin-sensei. Pretty sure Sandaime is crazy, but we’ve always known that, right? They’re brats, but so were we, and I’m proud of them. They’re gonna do great things. And I-”

Another breath, almost a sob. “Fuck, I miss you. It’s been half a lifetime, but I still miss you. And I hope - well, I hope that wherever you are, if you’ve seen any of it, that you forgive me. For failing you. For - for failing everyone…”

“She does,” a voice murmurs and he twists to see Kakashi standing behind him.

“How long have you been there?” he huffs and wipes his face again, trying to get rid of his blush and remaining tears. He officially hates being so cut off from his chakra. Normally, he’d be able to sense Kakashi coming from over a mile away.

“Not long,” Kakashi says, shoving his hands in his pockets. He hasn’t put on the uniform, either, or the hitai-ate. “Just enough to hear that last part.”

“And you’re sure. About Rin?”

“Of course I am.” Kakashi sits next to him, their shoulders brushing. “She loved you. And I was the one that failed her.”

“We both did,” Obito says, before they can descend into this old, guilt-ridden argument. In spite of the grief still knotted inside of him, he didn’t come here to be sad. “So enough of that.”

“Maa, fine,” Kakashi says and reaches out to brush a hand over Rin’s name. “Hi, Rin. I’m sorry it’s been so long. I’ve missed you, too. We’re a pair of idiots without you.”

Something close to a laugh escapes Obito’s mouth. “Definitely. You’ve probably spent the last thirteen years shaking your head.”

“But we’re doing all right,” Kakashi continues, with a fond glance towards Obito. “So don’t worry about us.”

“Yeah,” Obito says, all choked up again. Great. “We made it. You can relax.” He glances towards the larger memorial at the far end of the cemetery, raised on a platform and styled in a flame. “And … and if Minato-sensei or Kushina is with you, tell them I’m sorry. I’m so …” He exhales slow. “And that Naruto’s with me and I’m looking after him, I promise.”

“We both are,” Kakashi says, squeezing his shoulder. “As best we can.”

The sky is starting to lighten with the beginning of morning, and they should head back to the apartment before the sun comes up and the village rises with it, making a trek across town far more perilous.

“I’ll come visit again, Rin,” he says, uncrossing his legs and standing. “With flowers next time.” Kakashi nods and accepts Obito’s help up with a quiet sigh. Obito peers at him, frowning. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” He touches the cloth covering his eye. “My Sharingan’s just gone blind.”

“Fantastic,” Obito deadpans, out of energy for an emotional reaction.

“I thought so, too,” Kakashi agrees.

“We’re doing this for the kids,” Obito says. It’s becoming a mantra.

“For the kids,” Kakashi echoes and glances down at the grave. “Hear that, Rin? We’ve turned sentimental in our old age.”

“We’re the worst,” Obito says. “You’re probably embarrassed by us.”

Kakashi laughs softly and traces Rin’s name one last time. “Ja ne.”

“We’ll be back,” Obito adds, unable to bring himself to say goodbye, even after all these years.

They leave the cemetery in companionable silence, traveling across the rooftops just like they did when they were boys. Obito almost challenges Kakashi to a race out of some long-forgotten habit. All around him are echoes of a life long gone, and he wonders how long he’ll have to stay to stop seeing them.

For now, the summer air is heavy in his lungs and the sun is rising over Konoha.

A new day beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're so inclined, you can find me on tumblr @wobblyspelling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO. Sorry it's been an age - life ate me alive for awhile there. But I am back! Endless thanks to all of you wonderful people who have left comments, kudos, bookmarks, and just generally shown this fic some love. The response has kind of blown me away, and though I haven't be able to respond, each comment has definitely made my day. You're all magnificent. <3
> 
> (My apologies for the fact that this chapter is a little slow. We're still getting pieces in place. Things will start gearing up soon, pinky swear.)

Konoha. It’s only been a year and maybe this is stupid, but he didn’t expect it to look the same. Same monument, same streets, same buildings, same vendors hawking the same wares in the same marketplace. Same ramen stand that Naruto insists is the “best in the world, dattebayo!” 

Even the chill in the air around the old Uchiha compound is the same.

_ He  _ isn’t the same, though. He can feel that in his bones. And the teammates standing on either side of him aren’t the same, either. And maybe that’s all that matters. 

“This place is so creepy,” Naruto says, reaching out to touch a tentative hand to the shuttered gate. Sasuke hadn’t wanted to bring him, or Sakura, but they caught him in the process of climbing out the window this morning and insisted on tagging along.

Now, he has to admit that he's glad for the company on this personal, probably stupid, quest.

“Are you sure about this?” Sakura asks him.

_ No.  _ “Yes.”

“And we’re not gonna get in trouble, right?” Naruto presses, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It’s my family’s compound,” Sasuke says, but keeps the bite out of his tone. He understands Naruto’s worry. They’re all on edge, from that bullshit sealing ritual last night, from the ANBU he can still feel following them - perched in the trees up the street. From just being back in this village in general, with all its ghosts. “There shouldn’t be a problem with me visiting it.”

Sakura cracks her knuckles, loud in the early-morning stillness. “Then let’s get this shit over with.”

Sasuke couldn’t agree more. He isn’t even sure  _ why  _ he’s here. Maybe to prove that this is just a place. To prove to himself that he isn’t the boy that broke here and he isn’t the boy that vowed revenge here and  _ Uchiha  _ is no longer the only thing that defines him. That he can just be  _ Sasuke,  _ and the ghosts left here will allow him that.

“Yeah,” is all he says out loud and follows Naruto and Sakura over the wall and into the street below.

The bodies are long gone, the blood washed from the walls of the buildings, but Sasuke can still smell the metallic tang it in the air.

“This reminds me of that one mansion, remember?” Naruto says, talking just to fill the silence. “That  _ huge  _ one we saw in Wolf? That everyone said was haunted?”

“Yeah, by the daimyo’s wife, right?” Sakura asks, brushing her fingers along a tattered Uchiha flag hanging from one of the shuttered windows.

“Wives,” Sasuke corrects on autopilot. “He had seven.”

“Yeah!” Naruto says, snapping his fingers. “That’s right. Because he killed them and then married a new one every couple of years. Man that place was so creepy.”

The women roamed the halls, the local legends said. Dressed in tattered white with their long hair in their faces, wailing for the loss of their life and their love.

_ “They’ll kill you,”  _ one of the grandmothers of the village had said. “ _ Suck the soul straight from your chest.” _

He can’t hear any wailing here, but he thinks the ghosts would be able to sink their claws deeper. Right to the bone of him.

Fingers tangle with his, cutting off his morbid thoughts. Sakura, squeezing his hand tight.

“Breathe,” she says quietly, for his ears only. “Those were just stories. The dead are dead, isn’t that what Obito-sensei’s always saying?”

“Obito says that to comfort himself,” Sasuke mutters, but Sakura is right. He came here with a point to prove and he’s going to damn well prove it.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slow, pushes the fear out with it. He isn’t the same and that’s what matters.

“Come on,” he says, letting go of Sakura’s hand after a grateful squeeze. “This way.”

They follow him to the main street, that runs right through the center of the compound, and he stops in the middle of it, next to a store will a still-broken window and another with a ripped up awning, the Uchiha symbol on it faded from red and white to a dull brown.

“It was here,” he says. If he closes his eyes, it will be night and Itachi will be standing in front of him with his blood-soaked katana in hand - a towering monster wearing his brother's skin. But he keeps them open. Reminds himself of the years that have passed, of the fact that the blood and bodies are gone. “I saw Itachi here.” He points to the spot where Itachi once stood. “He…”

And here he doesn’t know what to say.  _ Tortured me?  _ Is that it was? Probably, if you ask Obito.

_ (Underneath the underneath,  _ Kakashi-sensei is always saying.)

“He told me to hate him,” Sasuke says. “To get stronger so that I could defeat him. I’ve always wondered what he meant by that.”

“Does he  _ want  _ you to defeat him?” Naruto asks. He’s got a rare solemn expression on his face, a tension in his shoulders that says he understands the weight of this, and Sasuke’s grateful for that. “It sounds like that to me.”

“But why?” Sakura says, a contemplative furrow to her brow. “Guilt? Or … maybe he thinks he’s helping you?” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Sasuke says, surprising himself a little, by how much he means it. “That’s what I came here to … it doesn’t matter. I don’t care why, anymore. It happened and it’s over. Nothing will ever change it or erase it and so why does it matter  _ why?  _ I don’t want to - my life doesn’t belong to him.” He raises his voice, for the ghosts.  _ My life doesn’t belong to you, either.  _ “I came back here to remind myself of that. Before we start the Chuunin Exams. I’m doing this for  _ us. _ ”

It might be the most he’s ever said to them at once - definitely the most vulnerable he’s allowed himself to be - but he doesn’t want to take the words back once they’re free. Team 7 needs to be a united front for this, and so Naruto and Sakura need to know these things. That coming back to Konoha won’t change him or erase the past year. That he's going to be with them every step of the way.

Naruto slings an arm across his shoulders. “We know, dobe.”

“That’s my line,” Sasuke grumbles.

“We’re with you,” Naruto continues, ignoring him. “We’re a  _ team.  _ But for what it’s worth - I’m sorry, Sasuke. That this happened. It’s … it sucks.”

Damn, but they’re all terrible at feelings.

Still, Naruto’s wearing an earnest expression that’s almost endearing, and that’s enough for Sasuke to say, “thanks.”

“What he said,” Sakura chimes in. “We’re with you, Sasuke. We know why you’re doing this. And I’m sorry, too.”

He just grunts this time, because there is only so much emotion he can handle in a twenty-four period and they are rapidly approaching his threshold.

“Wanna get out of here?” Naruto asks, nodding towards the wall. “This place is  _ depressing.” _

That’s putting it mildly, but. “You go on ahead. I ... there’s something I want to do. I’ll meet you at that ramen place.”

“For the last time,  _ Ichiraku’s. _ ”

Sasuke shoots him a flat look. “Why do you expect me to remember that?”

Naruto just shakes his head and steps away. Both him and Sakura look reluctant to leave, which is more touching than Sasuke wants to admit.

“I’ll be fine,” he insists and that’s enough for them to finally head for the gates. He waits until he can’t feel their chakra anymore, then continues on his way - through the grid-like streets to the house that was once his.

Up the porch steps, through the ruined  shōji, and here is where his parents died. Where Itachi killed them. It’s suddenly harder to breathe again.

He fishes around in his kunai pouch for the flowers he brought. Peonies. They’re a little crushed, but he scatters the petals on the floor. Here, you can still see where the blood seeped into the wood, staining it a dull red forever and -

“Fuck,” a familiar voice says behind him, “this place is worse than I thought.”

He whirls to see Obito in the doorway, hands stuffed in his pockets and a deep frown on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, thrown. Obito and Kakashi had been gone when they woke up this morning, and he figures they’ve had business to attend to - paperwork for the exams or whatever. Didn’t expect to see either of them until evening.

“I mean, I was an Uchiha, too, once upon a time,” Obito says. “But I also ran into Naruto and Sakura on their way to ramen and they told me you were here.” His dark gaze turns piercing. “You’re not picking at a wound, are you?”

Sasuke shakes his head. “Closing it. Wanted to do it before the Exams start.”

Obito softens, then. Glances around at the ordinary-looking room. “I’ve always hated this place. Ever since I was a kid.”

“I want to burn it,” Sasuke confesses. “I wish Konoha would let us.”

Obito shrugs. “I’m already a missing-nin. Between us I think we’d have enough fire jutsu. We can keep the option open for after the exams.”

Sasuke actually cracks a smile at the idea. What a send-off  _ that  _ would be. “Sounds good to me.”

“For now, I suggest we get the fuck out of here.”

Another suggestion that Sasuke can get behind. He’s said his goodbyes, many times already, and though he feels sad here, in what has become a massive mausoleum, he no longer feels chained by it. He can leave and not look back. Throw himself into the future, once and for all.

“Yeah,” he says with a sharp nod. “Let’s go.”

Out on the street, Obito stops him. “Ah, I’ve been told to ask you - do you want to wear the Uchiha symbol for the Chuunin Exams? Sandaime said he’d allow it.”

“No,” Sasuke says almost immediately. That’s an easy choice. He’s here to compete as a member of Team 7, not an Uchiha. “I don’t.”

Obito seems relieved, though he doesn’t give voice to it. Merely nods and gestures for Sasuke to follow him. “Then let’s get some ramen.”

The sun is fully up now, reflecting bright off the Hokage monument. A part of Sasuke blanches at the idea of ramen for breakfast, but the rest of him is glad that he now has someone to eat breakfast with. And Naruto is going to try to wheedle Obito into paying for everything, which is always hilarious.

“Lead the way,” he says and together they leave the Uchiha compound behind.

 

_ _ 

 

There are rumors swirling around the village. They started a week ago, when Asuma-sensei told Kurenai-sensei that  _ apparently  _ Team 7 and their new, mysterious sensei are returning to Konoha to take the Chuunin Exams, and have spread like wildfire ever since. 

Everyone is trying to act unaffected, including her idiot teammates, but she knows they’re seething with the same curiosity underneath their nonchalant facades. All of the rookie teams are. (Though, really, how are they rookies when they’ve been genin for a whole  _ year,  _ already? That hardly seems fair.) 

Team 7 literally vanished in the night last year, right after coming back from Wave Country. They weren’t even present for Ebisu-sensei’s funeral, and Ino has thought about them more than she’s wanted to in the months since.  _ Why  _ did they leave so suddenly? Why were they assigned some former ANBU operative instead of another jounin sensei? Why did _Sakura_ get to be the one to spend a whole  _ year  _ alone on the road with Sasuke-kun? And would they ever come back?

At least one of those questions has been answered, though. According to the gossip mill, Team 7 arrived last night - quiet and under the cover of darkness - same way they left.

And Ino  _ might  _ be spending her morning out in the village, trying to catch a glimpse of them. She ditched Shikamaru and Chouji at the training grounds, not wanting to deal with their teasing or their apathy. And sure, she should perhaps be practicing for the Exams that kick off in three days, but she just. She has to know okay? It’s been a whole fucking year and she’s  _ dying. _

They must be lying low, though, because she’s been wandering for two hours and she hasn’t seen them. Konoha is a big village, true, but she’d be able to pick out Sasuke from a crowd anywhere and Forehead Girl’s hair remains distinctive, as well as that idiot Naruto - always running around in  _ orange,  _ of all colors.

She’s about to admit defeat and skulk back to the training grounds - she  _ will  _ see them once the Exams start, after all, this is stupid - when she sees a flash of familiar pink at one of the nearby market stalls. She turns her head, fast, and … is that …  _ Sakura? _

_ It can’t be,  _ is her first thought. This girl’s pink hair is cropped short as a boy’s and the usual red dress is nowhere to be seen - replaced with a pair of ugly (sensible) black pants and a green sleeveless shirt. When the girl turns her head, those are Sakura’s green eyes, but they’re set in a face that is sharper than Ino remembers. Harder. Older, even. She's got lean muscle definition that definitely wasn't there when she left and she’s sporting sleeveless gloves on her hands - a Konoha hitai-ate tied around her arm.

She looks … cool. Badass. Like a real kunoichi, even, and Ino has no idea how to absorb this.

Before she can decide if she wants to approach or flee, a voice shouts “oi, Sakura-chan!” and gods that can’t be  _ Naruto,  _ can it?

He’s got orange stripes on the sleeves of his shirt, but everything else is black - shirt, pants, the shinobi sandals on his feet. He looks older, too - like he’s aged more in the last year than Ino or any of the other academy graduates have - and he’s in the process of tying a hitai-ate on. His hair, at least, is still as riotous and yellow as always.

“Does this feel weird?” he asks Sakura, adjusting the forehead protector. “This feels  _ super  _ weird, right? Why do we wear these things? They’re really uncomfortable.”

He still talks too much, but he isn’t nearly as loud as he used to be, and Sakura isn’t yelling at him. Rolling her eyes, yes, but she’s got a fond smile on her face, too.

(This must be some kind of genjutsu. That’s the only explanation.)

“Then wear it around your arm or something, baka.”

Naruto huffs. Adjusts the hitai-ate again. “Nah. I think it looks more badass like this.”

Sakura shakes her head, but moves past him. She’s got a bag slung over one shoulder, and she’s selecting vegetables from one of the stalls. It looks like she’s done this a thousand times, as she tests each one to determine ripeness, and Ino is once again struck by how confidently she moves now.

She even carries herself like a kunoichi, whereas before she constantly vacillated between brash overconfidence and shy insecurity.

Ino is so caught up in these startling differences, in Naruto and Sakura slipping into casual conversation like they’re actually  _ friends,  _ that she almost misses Sasuke-kun when he approaches. And he’s changed, too, though in a less obvious way. He seems … more relaxed, almost? In his spine, the lines of his shoulders, the openness of his expression. Ino is used to a Sasuke who is aloof and cold, not one who sighs at Naruto and helps him fix his hitai-ate, shifting the vegetables he’s holding so he can reach up and settle the tie in a better position on the back of Naruto’s head.

His own forehead protector is tied around his arm like Sakura’s and Naruto frowns when he sees it. “Oh c’mon,  _ you’re  _ doing the arm thing, too? Was there a meeting I missed where we agreed on the arm thing?”

Sasuke-kun shrugs. “It looks better like this.”

Naruto glances back and forth between them for a moment and then yanks the hitai-ate off his head, swearing under his breath as he also ties it around his arm. Sakura and Sasuke trade an amused glance with each other, a full year of knowing behind it, and Ino…

Ino’s feet are frozen to the ground. She feels like the whole world has tilted on its axis as she tries to process that a) Sakura doesn’t love Sasuke-kun anymore, not liked she used to and b) Team 7 are a  _ team.  _ A real team, Naruto included, who carry themselves like shinobi.

She’s looking at three complete strangers and that’s …

She turns and flees before any of them can spot her, choosing a direction at random - she’ll wind up back at the training grounds eventually. She needs time to think first. About the fact that, compared to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke-kun, she doesn’t think she’s changed much in the last year, if at all. She knows a few more skills than she did at graduation, sure, but overall life has been quiet. Maybe it was stupid, but she believed that life was quiet for Sakura, too.

And not only was she wrong, but she gets the sense that somehow, Sakura has surpassed her, and she isn’t quite sure how to feel about that yet. How to deal with the sinking feeling in her stomach.

She walks faster, determined now, to hunt down her lazy excuses for teammates and start whipping them into shape. She doesn’t care if her and Forehead Girl are not longer rivals for Sasuke-kun’s affection - she still isn’t going to be defeated.

 

_ _ 

 

After sending their restless genin on a grocery supply run for dinner tonight (he refuses to eat at Ichiraku’s for the entirety of their stay in Konoha, no matter how good it is), Kakashi steels himself and dresses in the jounin uniform that’s still sitting on the table. The vest is heavier than he expected - bulky instead of the sleek ones favored by the ANBU - but the hitai-ate slants easily back over his eye, bringing a host of memories with it that he instantly tamps down on. 

It’s just a uniform and now isn’t the time for dwelling or existential angst or any of the shit his brain wants to throw at him.

He doesn’t bother looking at himself in the mirror as he adjusts his gloves and double checks that his kunai pouch is strapped on correctly (a useless action, really, since him and Obito currently aren’t allowed weapons of any kind). He can’t stall any longer than that, though, as much as he wants to turn around, climb back into bed, and not emerge until the Exams are over.

Obito is waiting for him in the main room, grimacing down at his own jounin uniform. It looks weird on him, Kakashi decides. Green’s never  _ really  _ been his color and his hair sticks up even more with the hitai-ate holding it back. He’s put his customary patch over his eye instead of slanting his forehead protector like Kakashi has and he’s patting the pockets on the front of the vest, grumbling to himself about how “fucking  _ difficult _ ” they are to unclasp.

“You look like an idiot,” Kakashi announces, just to see Obito glower up at him instead.

“So do you, Hatake.”

Kakashi nods. “Good, now that we’ve established that, should we go? We’re going to be late.”

“Are you really worried about that?” Obito asks, still frowning.

“Considering our currently precarious position in this village - somewhat.”

Obito sighs in resignation and adjusts the sleeves of his shirt. Per unspoken agreement, they’ve both rolled them up to their elbows, keeping the matching seals on their arms visible. Hopefully that will deter anyone from starting shit, but Kakashi isn’t very hopeful.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

This being a trip to mission headquarters to submit their team’s application for the exams. A formality, really, but one all jounin sensei are required to go through, which means all of their peers will be there, as well.

In one room.

Armed.

Probably to the teeth.

_ Like ripping off a bandage,  _ Kakashi thinks as they lock the apartment door behind them. Obito gives a cheerful salute to the ANBU concealed in the trees, pinpointing their location exactly if the rustling is any indicator.

(For the thousandth time in his life, Kakashi’s glad for the mask that hides the smirk currently overtaking his mouth.)

They keep their heads down after they leave the house, though, sticking to shadows and side streets. No doubt rumors are spreading already (things are rarely secret for long in a village of nosy shinobi), and Kakashi would at least like to make it to the start of the Exams without any incidents.

(He misses his katana. A lot.)

He’s probably being melodramatic, though. Or overly paranoid. It’s been thirteen years, they’ve stayed largely off of Konoha’s radar during that time, mostly confining themselves to the far reaches of the continent - away from the conflicts of hidden villages in general. Apart from an entry in a Bingo Book, there’s been little cause for Konoha to pay them any attention. Maybe they’ve been forgotten? Maybe no one cares that they’re here at all.

(Ha.)

Either way, they’re about to find out, because here are the doors to mission headquarters - familiar and unassuming. Obito pauses in front of them and blows out a long breath.

“We’re going to be fine,” he says with a confidence it doesn’t sound like he feels.

“Yeah,” Kakashi echoes, mostly on reflex. They’ve been “fine” after dozens of terrifying situations over the last decade, why should that change now?

Obito still reaches over to squeeze his hand, quick and reassuring. Then, he’s squaring his shoulders, using every inch of his formidable height, and throwing open the doors.

_ Like ripping off a bandage,  _ Kakashi repeats to himself as a hush immediately descends over the room and multiple heads turn in their direction.  _ Like ripping off a bandage. _

The quiet extends - settles and presses in. He carefully doesn’t look at anyone’s face for too long, though he catches a glimpse of Asuma (is that a beard?) and Kurenai in his peripheral. Obito looks ready to fight the whole goddamn room if he has to and Kakashi scrambles to come up with something to cut the rapidly mounting tension.

A joke? A reassurance? A -

Someone shoulders their way to the front of the small crowd. The first thing Kakashi registers is  _ green,  _ an overwhelming amount of it, and then a terrifyingly familiar voice booms, “KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL, YOU HAVE RETURNED TO ME.”

He blinks, trying to get his bearings as the green thing  _ launches itself at him  _ and he’s suddenly being slammed against a broad chest - long arms wrapped around his torso and fingers digging into the back of his vest.

_ Someone is hugging me,  _ his brain finally registers. It quickly reevaluates to:  _ Gai is hugging me. _

Then several realizations hit at once:  _ Gai is hugging me, someone let Gai become a jounin, someone let Gai become a JOUNIN SENSEI -  _ and his poor brain gives up in horror after that.

It doesn’t matter because Gai is shaking him. And possibly weeping into his shoulder. And still yelling about how he  _ knew  _ Kakashi wouldn’t stay away forever, that eventually their eternal rivalry would continue … and panic sets in a little because Gai is  _ not letting go.  _ He tries to twist around to signal Obito for help, but the bastard is just gaping uselessly at him, looking like he can’t decide if this is greatest or most disturbing thing he’s seen in his life.

_ Not the first impression I wanted to make,  _ Kakashi thinks wryly. But maybe the most harmless one.

“Gai,” he finally croaks out, “I can’t breathe.”

Gai mercifully releases him, wiping at his face as he steps back, and gods he looks. Exactly the same. Right down to the spandex. Literally the only change is the  _ jounin vest  _ (how in all hells did  _ that  _ happen?) he’s wearing over said spandex.

The sight of him is … far more welcome than Kakashi would like to admit.

“Hello, Gai,” he says, keeping his voice as even as possible, and shoves his hands in his pockets, trying to adopt the relaxed pose he vaguely remembers pissing Gai off and prompting many declarations of how “hip” and “cool” he was.

“Rival Kakashi!” Gai replies, a little more subdued now, but still at booming volume. “Still as hip and cool as ever, I see.”

“And you’re still as … enthusiastic.”

“Yosh, of course! One must stay youthful if you are conveying the importance of youth and hard work to others.”

“Right.” Kakashi glances around the room and notices that the tension has lessened considerably - almost to the point of nonexistence - and Asuma (that is definitely a beard, gods) and Kurenai are cautiously drifting over, apparently put at ease by Gai’s display.

_ Thank you, Gai,  _ Kakashi thinks and vows to buy him a drink later, when Gai inevitably drags him out to get one.

Obito drifts closer, too. Whispers in his ear, “eternal rivals?”

“I’ll explain later,” Kakashi murmurs back, wanting to save _that_ embarrassment for behind closed doors because Obito is going to laugh at him. Possibly forever.

Asuma stops in front of them before Obito can reply. He’s got a cigarette between his teeth, instead of the dango stick Kakashi remembers, and he’s now tall and broad-shouldered in a way his diminutive father could only have dreamed of. His eyes are darker, too - some of the bright-eyed youthfulness gone. His wasn’t taken by the war (Sarutobi kept his only son as far away from the front lines as possible), but thirteen years of missions will do the job almost as efficiently.

Still, his grin is as crooked as it’s always been and he offers it without any trepidation. “Kakashi, long time no see.”

“Asuma,” Kakashi says with a dip of his head. “It’s been a long time.”

Asuma returns the nod of greeting and glances over Kakashi’s shoulder to Obito. “Uchiha.”

“Sarutobi,” Obito returns without much warmth. “And I haven’t been an Uchiha in a long time.”

Asuma scoffs around his cigarette. “You’ve still got those creepy eyes, don’t you? You’re an Uchiha.”

“And you’re just as charming as your father,” Obito fires back.

Kakashi shifts forward to intervene, but Kurenai beats him to it, inserting herself between the two men without batting an eye. (Yuhei Kurenai’s never been afraid of much, from what Kakashi can remember.) “Not here, boys,” she says, tone sharp with disapproval.

“Sorry,” Asuma mutters, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Obito grumbles, sounding far less apologetic. Kakashi elbows him and earns himself a glare in response.  

Gai, he notices, has been uncharacteristically quiet, observing the proceedings. He’s always been far more perceptive than most people give him credit for, Kakashi knows. Was one of the only ones who could see the true depth of the darkness eating Kakashi alive in the ANBU.

He wonders now, what Gai sees when he looks at him and Obito, and if he even wants to know.

“Shall we get this over with?” Obito asks, nodding towards the desk where a steady stream of jounin from multiple villages (Kakashi counts Kusa, Suna, Ame, Taki, and Oto) are turning in scrolls to a handful of harried chuunin.

Surprisingly, it’s Asuma that takes a deep drag of his cigarette and says, “yeah, as quickly as possible.”

Seems someone dislikes paperwork as much as his father, too. (Kakashi isn’t surprised.)

None of the chuunin manning the desk are Umino Iruka, which Kakashi is thankful for - nowhere near remotely ready to be grilled about Naruto by an overprotective former teacher - and they only glare a little bit when Kakashi hands over his team's papers, relaxing at the sight of the binding seal on his arm. For his part, Kakashi valianty resists the urge to make a dry quip about  _ not  _ being the boogeyman, surprise! His normal defense mechanisms will more than likely backfire here.

Spectacularly.

Thankfully, his nerves settle a little when they’re back outside in the heat of the summer air.

“They do not make these things breathable,” Obito gripes, tugging on his vest again.

A hand claps on Kakashi’s shoulder hard enough to sway him sideways. “Rival Kakashi, you must come get a drink with us! We have so much to catch up on!”

Right. Yes. He saw this coming and he also doesn’t see a way out of it. It’s probably a good idea, anyway, forming alliances with their fellow jounin sensei, trying to make sure good will towards them extends beyond the Hokage. And, separate from his strategizing, a part of him that he doesn’t really want to acknowledge is curious: about how Konoha’s been, how his ex-comrades have been, what kind of students they’re teaching now.

He glances at Obito, arched eyebrow asking  _ what do you think? _

Obito shrugs. Nods. Kakashi turns back to the others.

“Maa, one drink,” he agrees and winces at the arm Gai slings across his shoulders.

“That’s the spirit, Kakashi! Good to see you're still embracing your youthfulness!”

_ Eternal rivals?  _ Obito mouths, eye dancing with amusement.

Kakashi glares.  _ Later. _

And with that, Gai drags him off towards a very familiar bar, the others trailing behind.

Kakashi suppresses a sigh. It’s going to be a long afternoon.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're so inclined, you can also find me on [tumblr](http://www.wobblyspelling.tumblr.com).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! With a slightly shorter chapter than normal, but a smaller update is better than no update, right? 
> 
> Anyway, a MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU to all the wonderful humans who have left comments and kudos and messaged me on Tumblr and drawn art and just generally shown such incredible support. I've honestly been blown away by the response to my little universe. Y'all are the BEST. 
> 
> I'm afraid updates are going to continue to be sporadic, as real life and other projects remain time consuming, so thank you all for your patience with my random schedule. 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

“So you really can’t tell us anything?”

Naruto’s been asking that question for the past three days, and the answer’s always the same.

“Nope,” Kakashi says, leaning back in his chair. “The exams change every year.”

(He ate dinner earlier, the bastard, meaning that attempt number forty-seven to see under the mask was also a failure.)

“And even if we could,” Obito adds around a mouthful of rice, “we wouldn't. Part of the whole test is you brats figuring it out on your own.”

“I wasn’t asking for, like, _answers_ or anything,” Naruto insists. He’s full of nervous energy, tapping his chopsticks against the table in a fast rhythm, and Sakura resists the urge to reach over and smack him. “Just some general stuff. Like how many parts to it there are and the elements. One on one matches? Survival tests? Ugh, there aren’t written tests are there?”

“Exams usually have written tests,” Sasuke points out.

Naruto groans.

“We’re still not telling you,” Kakashi says, eye curving in amusement.

“Bastard-sensei,” Naruto grumbles. “ _You’re_ always the one telling us to gather intel ahead of time.”

He does have a point, Sakura can admit. She’s been itching with curiosity, too, ever since they decided to take the Exams. They’re rumored to be brutal, from what she’s read and the snippets of gossip she’s overheard around the village, and not a lot of people pass. But she figures, lack of intel or not, they still probably stand a good chance. She’s also been trying to observe fellow genin teams and some of them look so green it’s painful.

“We have intel, though,” she says now, setting aside her empty bowl. (It was really weird, using a stove to cook instead of a campfire.) “Sure, we don’t know what the exams are going to be like, exactly, but we’ve seen some of the competition.”

“Not much on the other Konoha teams,” Sasuke says, and that’s partially their own fault. They’ve all been avoiding their former classmates, nervous about how awkward reunions might be. “But I don’t think Kusa stands much of a chance. Taki, either.”

“Watch out for Oto,” Obito says grimly. “We don’t know much about that village and that’s usually cause for concern.”

“They’re creepy as fuck, too,” Naruto mutters. “Saw them in the market the other day and it gave me chills.”

“Suna has the most teams besides us,” Sakura points out. She may or may not have been keeping a tally of teams in her notebook. So far she’s counted only one from Oto, three from Kusa, two from Taki, two from Ame, and five from Suna, though there are supposedly over a hundred genin entered so she's only gotten a small glimpse. “And I’ve heard, um, rumors? About one of them.”

“Sabaku no Gaara,” Sasuke mutters, because he had been with her when they overheard a team from Suna whispering about him - how bloodthirsty and brutal he’s supposed to be. “I think we’re really gonna need to watch out for him.”

“Is that the guy who supposedly likes killing people?” Naruto asks. At their nods, he frowns. “I saw him this morning. At least, I think it was him? Short, red hair, definitely a killing aura. He was just walking in the village with his teammates and they seemed … afraid of him. Yeah, definitely scared of him. And I couldn’t really sense much but his chakra … it felt … like _evil._ Like really super evil. And not normal?” His face scrunches up and he shrugs. “I dunno, but I think there’s something off about him.”

“Do you know anything?” Sakura asks her two idiot sensei, because they’re doing that thing where they talk at each other with their faces.

Obito sighs, scratching his cheek. “Just rumors.”

“So tell us,” Sasuke says with a glare.

“There's speculation that he might be a jinchuuriki,” Kakashi says.

What? A jinchuuriki? Like Naruto? That doesn’t seem right.

Next to her, Naruto starts. “Wait? Like me? My chakra doesn’t feel like _that._ ”

Kakashi shrugs. “Like I said it’s just speculation. He may not be. We just know that Suna has one of the nine and he’s the Kazekage’s son. Might make him a good candidate.”

“Who would do that to their own son, though?” Naruto mutters and he misses Kakashi and Obito’s flinch but Sakura doesn’t.

She almost presses them on it - that fleeting guilt - but now doesn’t seem the time. They need to focus on the Exams. Which start tomorrow morning, gods.

“Well he’s at the top of our list, either way,” Sasuke says, nudging Naruto. The motion seems to startle Naruto out of the strange quiet he’d fallen into and he nods, grinning at Sasuke.

“And Oto,” Sakura adds.

“Definitely Oto,” Naruto agrees. “Did you see that guy with bandages?” He shudders.

Obito claps his hands together. “Good, it sounds like you’re approaching this well. Now go get some fucking sleep. It’s gonna be a long couple days, that much I _can_ tell you.”

“Hey, Obito-sensei, we’ve never asked, how did your Chuunin Exams go?” Naruto asks.

Kakashi snorts and Obito’s eye widens. Interesting.

“Yeah,” Sakura jumps in. “What were _your_ Exams like, sensei?”

“Well…” Obito mutters, scratching the back of his head.

“Let’s see,” Kakashi begins with _incredible_ glee. “First, he was so late to the second part that we were almost disqualified.”

“Kakashi-” Obito protests, but is ignored.

“Then, he choked on a piece of candy trying to do Great Fireball and got knocked out in one hit by _Maito Gai.”_

“Oh my god that was _Gai?_ ” Obito half-shouts. “Fuck, I forgot about that.”

“ _Then,”_ Kakashi continues, ticking off a third finger, “he got distracted during one on one battles and got knocked out in one hit _again, also_ by Gai.”

“Fucking hell,” Obito grumbles, raking an agitated hand through his hair.

“Does that about sum it up?” Kakashi asks innocently.

“To be fair, I hadn’t awakened my Sharingan yet,” Obito mutters, still rubbing the back of his head.

“I didn’t have a Sharingan either, baka,” Kakashi points out. “And I passed with flying colors.”

“Because you’re a fucking _prodigy,_ asshole. The Sharingan’s just made you even _more_ annoying.”

“You really … choked on a piece of candy?” Sasuke asks, sounding amazed. Sakura can relate. Uchiha Obito is the most powerful shinobi she’s ever seen, potentially the most powerful shinobi _alive,_ and she cannot wrap her mind around the idea of him getting taken out in one hit by _anything_ , let alone another ninja.

Obito just sighs, glaring daggers up at the ceiling. “I was kind of a loser back then, okay? If anything my story should be an inspiration.”

“Or just reassuring,” Sakura says, trying to hide a smile at his obvious embarrassment. “I think we’d actually have to _try_ to fail that hard.”

“Like really try,” Naruto agrees with a snicker.

“Now we know, though,” Sasuke says, sporting a huge smirk. “Don’t bring candy to the Exams.”

“Oi, go the fuck to sleep, brats,” Obito huffs, shooing them towards one of the bedrooms. “You have a big day tomorrow.”

He _is_ right about that, so they let the teasing go and obediently head in the direction of the bedroom. After Sakura has stripped down to her underwear - no longer embarrassed after months in close proximity to her teammates - and pulled the covers over herself, in spite of the summer heat, she realizes that sleep is probably going to be a long time coming.

She’s nervous about tomorrow, about what the Exams might bring, but even more than that she’s _excited._ Because she knows they can handle it. They’ve handled S-ranked missing nin and murderous bandits and fucking _Swamp Country._ She’s nearly lost both her teammates on missions and Kakashi-sensei, as well. Has come close to death herself more times than she’d like to count and emerged on the other side still swinging.

They’ve got this, and maybe a small, petty part of her is looking to prove herself. To show that she’s a fucking _kunoichi_ and not the shy Forehead Girl that had a massive, embarrassing crush on Uchiha Sasuke - cared more about her stupid hair and appearance than being a shinobi. That girl is long gone, and Haruno Sakura is here to kick ass and take names.

Just you wait.

“Hey, Sakura-chan,” Naruto whispers from her left. “We’re gonna rock this, right?”

“Of course we are, dobe,” Sasuke answers from her right.

“They won’t know what hit them,” Sakura agrees.

“Heh,” Naruto says with a mischievous laugh. “Can’t wait to see the looks on all of their faces.”

And okay, Sakura realizes, maybe she isn’t the only one with something to prove. Naruto was dead last at the Academy and ridiculed from all sides. No one even thought he would become a shinobi, and now here he is - ready to defy them all.

“Yeah,” Sakura says, reaching over to squeeze Naruto’s hand in the dark. “We’re gonna be amazing.”

_ _

 

The next morning comes too quick. After a night of restless sleep, Sakura is up before the sun, making breakfast in the kitchen. Kakashi, predictably, is also awake, cradling a cup of tea that he has yet to drink out of (bastard, she’ll get him one day). He’s not wearing his hitai-ate or jounin vest and she’s weirdly glad for it. He looks more like her sensei this way - with his bangs hanging in his eyes and a plain shirt free of village symbols.

“Sakura,” he says quietly, when she sits down with her bowl of porridge, leaving the rest on the stove for when the other two wake. “You know you’re the leader of this team, right?”

Sakura blinks because no, she hadn’t known that. She’d always just assumed it was Sasuke, with all of his genius and his Kekkei Genkai.

Kakashi gives her a rueful look. “You are. The other two - they listen to you and you balance them out well.” His mismatched eyes curve up. “Leadership isn’t about who’s the most powerful. So look out for them, yeah? I have a feeling you’re gonna be the one who gets Team 7 through this.” He laughs, faint, and shakes his head. “It’s the only reason I suggested that you brats take the Exams. I knew you’d keep the other two in line.”

Sakura fights the urge to gape at him. Kakashi has always been good at encouraging them where they need it and mentioning when he thinks they do well, but this level of praise is uncharacteristic.

“Why … why are you telling me this, sensei?”

He shrugs. “Maa, because I think you need to hear it. You still think yourself less than them sometimes. Not as vital. And that isn’t true, especially now.”

Well.

She bites her lip and nods, trying to keep the pleased blush off her face. (Curse her skin for always turning red at the slightest provocation.) “Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. I’ll make sure they don’t do anything too stupid.”

Kakashi raises his cup of tea to her in a silent toast and she hides her smile in her porridge. The following quiet is comfortable, pleasant, but the cacophony when everyone else wakes up and crowds into the kitchen for breakfast is welcome, too.

Her noisy, ridiculous family. She's glad she has them. 

_ _

 

Okay, so, after so much build up, having to walk to a classroom is admittedly a little … anticlimactic. Naruto _hates_ classrooms. They’re boring and stuffy and nothing good happens in them. Also fuck, he _knew_ there was going to be a written portion, and he still majorly _sucks_ at those, so he just hopes desperately that he doesn’t fail their team in the first round just because he’s so bad at taking tests. It’s not like he doesn’t know stuff. He does! It’s just hard to sort it out when it’s written in a complicated question - and the questions are always _way_ more complicated than they need to be. He suspects teachers do that to torture their students.

But fine, whatever. He’ll power through the written part and then maybe they’ll get to the _real_ stuff. Where he can really prove he’s not an idiot anymore - was never one to begin with, actually. (It’s just easier, right? To act a little dumb, a little less threatening. People aren’t as inclined to attack you if they believe you’re too stupid to be up to anything. He’d rather haven been the village's idiot prankster than their kept monster.)

There’s a small crowd gathered around the classroom when they arrive, along with a kid in - is that green spandex? Wow. And a Hyuuga, interesting. Plus two guys guarding the door to the classroom, and like, a _really_ obvious genjutsu. Naruto’s not the best at genjutsu, but even he can tell this is the second floor, not the third. The bullies at the front of the class are spouting shit about weeding out the weaklings and how people die or become permanently disabled taking this Exam and it’s probably meant to be intimidating, but really Naruto hears worse from Obito-sensei on a regular morning, not to mention during actual training sessions, so he tunes it out.

They all agreed that they’d lie low through this part - get a handle on their competition, especially their old classmates. Naruto knows there’s a certain degree of mystery surrounding them now, since they vanished last year without a word, and so most of the Konoha teams are gonna be watching them closely. No need to draw even _more_ attention to themselves.

Still, no one seems to be doing anything about the genjutsu - not even the Hyuuga (is he lying low, too?) - so Sasuke finally steps forward and asks them to undo it.

They seem surprised - which, wow, this bar is kinda low, isn’t it? - but they release it and sure enough, the classroom number changes from 301 to 201.

“Well not bad,” says the guy with spiky hair and bandages on his face, “but all you’ve done is catch on, right?”

And then he’s moving into a fighting stance, twisting a leg to kick Sasuke, and he’s fast, but they’re all used to Obito now so Sasuke dodges easily, darting to the side so that Bandages’s leg just cuts through empty air.

“I don’t want to fight,” Sasuke says, frowning. “I just want to get to the third floor.”

Bandages just snorts and moves to attack again, but suddenly, in a blur movement, Spandex is between him and Sasuke, arm out to stop the second kick.

“Fast,” Sakura mutters next to him, eyes narrowed.

“Yeah,” Naruto agrees. And strong. The chakra in his arms in _insane._ Plus the rest of him is just … a lot. The bushiest eyebrows Naruto’s ever seen and a _bowl cut_ and gods the spandex. Why did everyone berate him for running around in orange when there was another genin apparently wearing _that?_

Sakura makes a noise of agreement and Naruto can practically see the gears in her head turning, moving Spandex up on her assembled list of other competitors. The Hyuuga and a kunoichi that must be his teammates are talking now, mentioning that he was the one who didn’t want to attract attention. Which means he _was_ faking it before with that punch. Interesting.

He glances over at Sasuke, who still looks mostly baffled by this random turn of events, and they trade shrugs. The bullies have vanished - were probably part of a test by the instructors, anyway (teachers are always mean with things like that) - and now Spandex is approaching Sakura and oh _gods_ is he _blushing?_

“My name is Rock Lee,” he announces and really, sure it is, Naruto somehow wasn’t expecting anything less. “And you’re Sakura, right?”

Sakura arches an eyebrow at him. And then he honest-to-gods does a _thumbs up_ and _winks_ and both of those things are horrifying. “Please go out with me! I’ll protect you until I die!”

Fucking hell. Naruto bites his lip to keep a snort of laughter inside, both at the ridiculousness of this and the way Sasuke’s mouth has fallen open over Spandex’s shoulder. As for Sakura, he can tell that it’s just their promise to fly under the radar that is keeping her from punching Rock Lee into _next year._ Maybe even the next decade. No one in their right mind would think that _Haruno Sakura_ needs protecting but a) Spandex doesn’t seem to be in his right mind and b) she _does_ kind of look non-threatening if you don’t know her. Naruto thinks it’s the pink hair. (Not that he would _ever_ tell her that.)

“Absolutely not,” Sakura snaps and Rock Lee slumps down in disappointment like he actually thought he had a chance.

Naruto doesn’t bother to hide a bark of laughter this time. This is just too ridiculous, even for him.

Of course, the Hyuuga chooses that moment to march up to Sasuke and demand that he identify himself, and ah, here comes the grandstanding they were expecting. Even though Sasuke doesn’t have the clan symbol on him anywhere, everyone is still going to know he’s an Uchiha - the _last_ Uchiha - and want to test themselves against him. It’s something Obito warned them about, but they would have expected it, anyway. And once upon a time, it would have infuriated Naruto - that everything is always about Sasuke, that Sasuke is the first person their fellow shinobi notice - but he’s learned to see the advantage of it. Both him and Sakura get constantly underestimated and that’s … convenient. Plus he knows how much it irritates Sasuke, being judged for his clan name and not any of his own personal merits.

Which is why Sasuke just crosses his arms and says, “when asking someone his name, you give your own name first.”

The Hyuuga ignores that. (Are all Hyuuga this rude? Naruto doesn’t remember Hinata being like this, though his Academy days can be a little fuzzy sometimes.) “You’re a rookie, right? How old are you?”

“I don’t have to answer that,” Sasuke insists, moving his hands to his pockets, posture purposefully relaxed (an echo of Kakashi's lazy confidence), and the Hyuuga’s glower deepens.

“Enough of this circus,” Sakura snaps, finally losing her patience. “Let’s go.”

Sasuke gives the Hyuuga his trademark smirk (which _still_ works on Naruto sometimes, much to his frustration. It’s just so _punchable.)_ and saunters back over to them.

“I can’t believe he asked you out,” Naruto snickers as they head for the third floor. “And you said no!”

“I didn’t sign up for this,” Sakura grumbles, hands still flexing at her sides like she wants to punch something. “I signed up for survival tests and shit, not _propositions._ ”

“He’s crazy, but he’s strong,” Sasuke comments mildly. “The Hyuuga, too.”

“I know. I moved him up the list,” Sakura agrees with a wave of her hand. “Doesn’t mean I have to date him. I can’t believe-”

“Hey!” a familiar voice shouts, from somewhere above them. “Wait a minute!”

“Are you fucking serious,” Sakura snarls, whirling around. Naruto turns, too, and sure enough, there is Spandex on the balcony above them - a serious look on his face again.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” he says, leaping over the balcony and landing in a graceful crouch. “Fight with me!”

Sasuke blinks. “Now?”

Rock Lee slides into a taijutsu stance. “Yes. I want to test out how effective my techniques will be against the descendant of a clan reputed for genius ninjas.”

Sasuke sighs and right now, he looks a lot like Obito. “You shouldn’t want to fight me just because I’m an Uchiha,” he says.

“ _I’ll_ fight him,” Sakura grumbles under her breath and Naruto has to fight down a smile.

Sasuke shoves his hands in the pockets of his black pants. “Clan name isn’t everything, you know. Just because I’m an Uchiha doesn’t mean I’m automatically a genius. Or even have my Sharingan.”

Oh man, if Obito could hear this. Naruto vows to tell him later - just how much Sasuke’s actually taken his teachings to heart. Meanwhile, Rock Lee is frowning at him, clearly not expecting this answer.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Sasuke continues with a shrug. “I could be far weaker than you, and that wouldn’t be a challenge at all. Sakura could actually be much stronger than me. Or Naruto. But you haven’t paid them any attention. Shouldn’t you wait for the Exams and decide _then_ if you want to fight me? Wouldn’t it be more of an actual challenge if you know what I’m like as a shinobi, instead of just assuming things because of my clan name?”

He shrugs again. “And besides, I don’t want to fight you, so I’m gonna say no, anyway. You’re wasting your time, Bushy Brows.”

A smile ticks in the corner of Rock Lee’s mouth and he straightens. “You do make a good point, but for what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re a match for me. I’m the strongest of the Konoha genin.”

“I’m sure you are,” Sasuke says, and smirks. “You should just remember, we’re not really Konoha genin.”

“Even though you’re wearing our hitai-ate?” Spandex points at the one tied around Sasuke’s arm.

Sasuke shrugs again. “Formality.”

“Interesting.” Spandex bows. “I look forward to competing against you in the Exams, Uchiha Sasuke.” He turns his gaze to Sakura, blush rising on his cheeks again. “And Sakura….”

“Don’t even dare,” Sakura snaps. “Or I’ll take you up on that offer and I _will_ win.”

Lee slumps. “You don’t have be so harsh….”

“That’s her going easy on you, trust me,” Naruto pipes up.

“We’re going to be late,” Sasuke points out and Lee straightens again, expression once more serious and way too intense. The eyebrows really just make it worse.

“You’re right, I should rejoin my team. Please prepare yourself for the Exams, Uchiha Sasuke.”

“You, too,” Sasuke says and they all watch Lee vault back up onto the balcony, as nimble and fast as he arrived.

“Maybe you should have fought him,” Naruto suggests in the faintly stunned silence left behind. “We could’ve learned a lot.”

Sasuke shakes his head. “That would’ve been breaking the rules.”

“Which will reflect badly on Obito and Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura says, finally unclenching her fists.

“Right, don’t want that.” He’d forgotten for a moment, about the seals on Obito and Kakashi’s arms and the fact that they’re here not just to prove themselves, but to show that Obito and Kakashi can be trusted to continue teaching them in the future. “Good call, then, Sasuke.”

“He believed what he was saying,” Sasuke mutters as they continue up the stairs, “about being the strongest. That kind of confidence usually has skill behind it.”

“Like I said, I’ve moved him up the list. Right next to Oto and Sabaku no Gaara.”

“This exam is full of monsters,” Sasuke says with a faint laugh.

Naruto’s never liked that word, but he knows what Sasuke means. Lee might look ridiculous, but there is a lot of power backing him up. And Gaara - Naruto would rather not think about Gaara and the way his teammates cowered around him. And they’re scary themselves, he knows that, too. They’ve grown a lot in the past year, overcome a lot and fought a lot of powerful things. He wonders, not for the first time, what the other teams must think of them.

Guess they’re going to find out soon enough.

“We fit right in, then,” he says and Sasuke grins at him.

“Hell, yeah,” Sakura says and puts a hand on both of their shoulders. “Now enough distractions. Let’s do this.”

They’re here, finally, in the corridor outside classroom 301. Whatever happens next, it’s up to them to make it through. Together.

“Team 7,” Naruto says, putting his hand out.

“Team 7,” Sakura echoes, her hand on top of his.

“Team 7,” Sasuke says, laying his hand over both of theirs. “Let’s go crush this.”

They break and Naruto fights off a wave of giddy excitement as Sakura reaches for the door handle.

Let the games begin.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to include Gai, because that scene in canon is hilarious, but I couldn't find a reason why this universe's Sasuke would break the rules and fight Lee, especially knowing the pressure on Obito and Kakashi. So Gai will just have to wait for now. 
> 
> Anyway, next update as soon as I can! In the meantime, feel free to hit me up on Tumblr @wobblyspelling.


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